Can you download programmes from iplayer

As with the iPlayer, you can download radio programmes and podcasts so you can listen to them later even without an internet connection.

These can be found in the 'My sounds' section, a personalised part of the app for your downloads, subscribed programmes and bookmarks. There's no watch list as such, but even vintage programming can be subscribed to and added to your 'Subscribed' list, and individual episodes you want to revisit can be bookmarked and accessed via the 'Bookmarks' section.

Visit our television section for TV reviews and round-ups. There's no such thing as a stupid question, so we've sorted through some of the most frequently asked questions about the BBC's catch-up service to help you get to grips with it.

It's an easy way to catch-up on television shows you've missed. It is available as a website or an app for phones, tablets, smart TVs and other devices. The iPlayer uses about mbs of data an hour, so around four hours of footage will use up 1GB of data. Downloading over a broadband connection before watching will help if you're trying to conserve your mobile data. It's free to download the iPlayer app but if you want to watch streamed live TV you need a TV licence. The iPlayer includes recently broadcast films and television programmes, as well as box sets of classic programmes.

The iPlayer works as an app so needs to be downloaded onto a device such as a smart TV, games console or digi box.

Set-top boxes such as Sky and Virgin Media will also play it. If you don't have any set-top boxes or a smart TV the easiest and cheapest way would be to buy a low-cost streaming box, such as a Roku, Chromecast or Amazon Firestick which plugs into your TV check connections available on your TV before buying. If you need to find out how to use iPlayer on TV but no longer have the instructions for getting your smart TV to work you should be able to find them on the manufacturer's website.

All you need to do to switch on subtitles is start playing the programme you want and click the 'S' icon at the bottom of the screen, next to the playtime.

The button is only visible when you hover your mouse or finger over the screen. With programming broadcast live there might be a slight delay in the subtitles appearing as they would have been generated in real time as it was being broadcast. Yes, you can watch television programmes with sign language. In the genre menu 'Signed' will be an option, so click on it to find what is available signed.

As with signed programming, television shows with audio descriptions sit in their own category on the menu. Scroll along until you see 'Audio Described' to see what is available. For more on the BBC iPlayer's accessibility see their website. You may also like On the box: read the latest TV reviews.

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Downloaded programmes are available for the same amount of time as they are on the BBC iPlayer website or app.

So if a programme is available for 30 days, you'll have until the end of that same day period to watch the download. At the end of that availability period, downloaded programmes will be deleted. So keep an eye on the expiry date of each programme you download to make sure you don't miss out! Breadcrumb iPlayer help home Accessibility How do I turn subtitles on or off? How can I watch programmes when I'm offline? How long can I keep programmes I've downloaded? Need more help? Contact us.

Need more help? Contact us. Browse our help categories Getting Started. About BBC iPlayer and our policies. Getting started with BBC iPlayer. Parental controls. Signing in. Supported devices. Watching iPlayer. Programme availability.